“We are so excited to be back on planet Earth after an incredible mission on the International Space Station,” said American astronaut Jessica Meir, the mission commander. The spacecraft was then hoisted onto a specialized ship, and the four occupants — Meir, American Jack Hathaway, French astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Russian cosmonaut Andrei Fedyaev — were helped out one by one.

They will undergo initial medical checks on the ship before being transported by helicopter to land, and then fly to Houston, Texas, home to the NASA center responsible for astronaut operations. During the mission, Adenot became the first French female astronaut to venture outside the space station for a spacewalk. In all, she undertook three spacewalks on August 18 and 25, and September 1.

Four new crew members for the ISS docked at the orbiting laboratory last week and will stay for approximately six months. Continuously inhabited for the last quarter-century, the aging ISS is scheduled to be pushed out of orbit before crashing into one of Earth’s oceans sometime around 2030. Despite many international cooperation agreements falling apart after Moscow invaded Ukraine in 2022, the United States and other ISS partners have continued working with Russia on the space station.

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In a live broadcast on NASA TV, the capsule appeared to glide gently toward a stationary ISS as both hurtled through space at some 17,500 miles (28,163 km) per hour. The new arrivals — Americans Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, Canadian Joshua Kutryk, and Russian Sergey Teteryatnikov — floated into the space station through a pressurized vestibule and addressed colleagues on Earth late Thursday.

“We are so excited to be here. This is truly a special place,” Watkins said on the NASA livestream. “It’s amazing and kind of ironic to think that it’s such a short trip to get here because the journey to get here has been long.” Canadian Kutryk added that it “feels really good” to represent his country in space, adding he was “looking forward to a good mission after some sleep. That’s what I’m gonna go do next.”

The duration of the journey depends greatly on the distance between the ISS and the spacecraft at the time of launch. It took more than 30 hours for the last crew that launched from American soil to reach the station. The new ISS crew was initially meant to arrive in mid-September, but its launch was postponed due to a leak aboard the Dragon. Crew-13 is taking over from Americans Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, Frenchwoman Sophie Adenot and Russian Andrey Fedyaev. Crew-12 is set to return to Earth as early as Monday, though the schedule depends on weather conditions.

Canadian Kutryk will have an extra reason to look forward to his return in six months’ time — his wife is due to give birth during his stay in space. Continuously inhabited for the last quarter-century, the aging ISS is scheduled to be pushed out of orbit before crashing into one of Earth’s oceans sometime around 2030. Despite many international cooperation agreements falling apart after Moscow invaded Ukraine in 2022, the United States and other ISS partners have continued working with Russia on the space station.

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“I’m out,” Adenot, 44, said after exiting the ISS, some 400 kilometers (250 miles) above the Earth. Adenot, 44, became the second European woman to conduct a spacewalk after Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti’s 2022 mission. For several days leading up to the operation, the French astronaut prepared by reviewing spacesuits, tools and safety procedures to follow once outside the space station.

“A successful (spacewalk) starts long before the hatch opens, and that’s where my focus has been these past few days: rehearsing, preparing and focusing,” Adenot said on X on Sunday. During the spacewalk, the two astronauts will begin by dismantling the old antenna, then retrieve the replacement and install it. Flight engineer Jack Hathaway and station commander Jessica Meir will monitor the spacewalkers and operate a robotic arm from inside the ISS, NASA said.

“While the spacewalkers are the ones out in the spotlight, (extravehicular activities) are very much a team effort, and it’s always a privilege to support the crew from within,” Adenot wrote after the previous spacewalk, when she supported Meir and Menon. An engineer by training and a former test pilot, Adenot became in February the second Frenchwoman in history to fly into space after pioneer Claudie Haignere. The last French person to walk in space was Thomas Pesquet, who did so six times over two stays aboard the ISS.

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“I do expect something Italian to show up on the menu, and I don’t even have to bring it up because Italian food is a treasure of UNESCO,” Parmitano told AFP Tuesday, adding, “everybody wants some Italian food.” That’s not all the former Italian Air Force colonel brings to the table. Selected as an astronaut by the European Space Agency (ESA) in 2009, Parmitano has completed two missions aboard the International Space Station, where he completed complex spacewalks — including a near-fatal incident when his helmet began filling with water due to a failure in the suit’s cooling system.

– **Responsibility and humility** – As the mission’s lead pilot, Parmitano will share responsibility with commander Randy Bresnik. “We are both test pilots, and the spacecraft needs a crew of 2 to fly it, so we share the responsibilities,” Parmitano said. “I feel honored that I was chosen for this role,” he said. “It was unexpected because I didn’t know that it was in the run for that position.” Parmitano, a 49-year-old father of two daughters, added that he is “also very humbled by the task in front of us. It’s a very complex mission.” He proudly wears a uniform adorned with the Italian flag and the ESA’s patch, whom he calls “strong partners.” “When NASA chooses a European astronaut to be a pilot, (it) is sending a strong message that our leadership is understood, that our cooperation is valued, and that our technical expertise, both in our constructions, because Europe builds part of the spacecraft, but also our personnel, is solid,” he said.

– **Multicultural crew** – The crew will be rounded out by African American Andre Douglas and US astronaut of Salvadoran descent Frank Rubio. Parmitano said he has known the mission’s commander “for my entire career,” but noted that for Douglas, the mission will mark his first space flight. “We immediately bonded as soon as we found out that we were assigned to this mission,” Parmitano said. He welcomes the diversity in ages and backgrounds, saying it “just enriches the crew in general.”

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A NASA spokesperson told AFP that Roscosmos cosmonauts took measurements of the leaks and were now assessing data. “With today’s operations, they wanted to be extra safe, extra precautionary, and have the crew move into the safe haven posture,” the spokesperson said. NASA spokesperson Bethany Stevens then said on social media that “NASA has instructed the crew members inside the Dragon spacecraft to end the safe haven procedures and return to planned operations aboard the International Space Station.”

In a statement cited by Russian state media, Russia’s Roscosmos space agency said that while pressurizing the transfer chamber, known as PrK, a leak was recorded. “During an inspection of the PrK, the cosmonauts discovered two potential air leak sites. The first was promptly sealed by applying the first layer of the two-component sealant ‘Germetall‑1.’ The second site is located on the conical part of the PrK. Work is underway to prepare for its sealing,” read the statement.

NASA’s Stevens had previously said the transfer tunnel had suffered cracks and leaks for some time. “NASA and Roscosmos have been working to determine the root cause of the cracks, and Roscosmos manages the issue through operational mitigation measures and periodic partial-repair efforts,” she said. NASA and Russia’s Roscosmos are two primary operators of the International Space Station.

Continuously inhabited for the last quarter-century, the aging ISS is scheduled to be pushed into Earth’s orbit before crashing into an isolated spot in the Pacific Ocean in 2030. The ISS, once a symbol of warming post-Cold War relations, has been a rare area of continued cooperation between the West and Russia since Moscow invaded Ukraine in 2022.

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Astronaut Christina Koch said the so-called Universal Waste Management System was giving off “a burning heater smell.” Rick Henfling, flight director for the Artemis II mission, stressed Tuesday that “the toilet remains operational. The challenge that we’re working through is evacuating the wastewater tank,” he said. “So we’re having to fall back to some other alternate means.” Under Plan B, the four astronauts are using personal reusable containers called “collapsible contingency urine disposal devices.” The toilet problem was reported just hours after liftoff from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Koch adjusted the system’s controls, restarted them with the help of mission control, and that appeared to resolve the issue.

“I’m proud to call myself a space plumber,” Koch said in her first briefing from the spacecraft, which is to splash down in the Pacific Ocean on Friday. She called the toilet “probably the most important piece of equipment on board.” However, the problem has persisted. The astronauts are unable to flush the wastewater into space. The issue has been a constant topic of discussion at press conferences held at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. This is the same center that in 1970 received astronaut Jack Swigert’s message: “Houston, we’ve had a problem,” after an oxygen tank explosion aborted Apollo 13’s Moon landing, starting a harrowing emergency that eventually brought those three astronauts back to Earth safely.

– Chemicals, not ice – NASA initially thought the toilet problem might be due to freezing in the filters. But Henfling said that the problem was not ice. The spacecraft has been rotated to face the sun to “bake off any ice” and heaters have been activated, “and we still see blockage,” he said. “The latest theory is related to some of the chemistry that goes into ensuring that the wastewater doesn’t develop any biofilms,” or microorganisms, he said. The chemical reaction may be generating some debris that’s “getting clogged in a filter.”

The toilet on board Orion is similar to the one on the International Space Station, but this is the first time it has been used on a crewed deep-space mission. The Apollo astronauts didn’t have a toilet and used special bags for waste. On the Orion spacecraft, which is five meters in diameter and a little over three meters high, the toilet is located beneath the floor – the only place on board where the astronauts can be alone. The cramped toilet space is very noisy inside, so they must protect their ears. It has suction systems to compensate for microgravity. Feces are placed in disposable bags that compact and will be brought back to Earth.

Lori Glaze, associate administrator of NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, said that “as soon as we get this down on the ground, we’ll be able to get inside and we will get to the root” of the problem.

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“We have bridged the legacy of humankind’s continuous presence in space spanning more than 25 years at this very site,” American astronaut Jessica Meir said after docking at the ISS. “As we look back at Earth from these windows, we are reminded that cooperation is not just possible, it is essential. Up here, there are no borders and hope is universal.”

Other members of Crew-12 are American Jack Hathaway, French astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev. The foursome are replacing Crew-11, which returned to Earth in January a month earlier than planned in the first medical evacuation in the space station’s history. The ISS, which orbits 250 miles (400 kilometers) above Earth, has since been staffed by a skeleton crew of three. NASA declined to disclose any details about the health issue that cut the previous mission short. Crew-12 will be one of the last crews to live aboard the football field-sized space station. Continuously inhabited for the last quarter-century, the aging ISS is scheduled to be pushed into Earth’s orbit before crashing into an isolated spot in the Pacific Ocean in 2030.

– Microgravity and the human body –

During their eight months on the outpost, the astronauts will conduct many experiments, including research into the effects of microgravity on their bodies. Meir, who previously worked as a marine biologist studying animals in extreme environments, will serve as the crew’s commander. Adenot has become the second French woman to fly into space, following in the footsteps of Claudie Haignere, who spent time on the Mir space station. Among other research, she will test a system that uses artificial intelligence and augmented reality to allow astronauts to carry out their own medical ultrasounds.

“I am proud to bring France and Europe along on this incredible adventure that transcends borders,” Adenot said. “Count on me to share every step with you and bring a sparkle to the eyes of the French people.”

The ISS, once a symbol of warming post-Cold War relations, has been a rare area of continued cooperation between the West and Russia since Moscow invaded Ukraine in 2022. However, the space station has not entirely avoided the tensions back on Earth. In November, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev — who had long been planned to be a member of Crew-12 — was suddenly taken off the mission. Reports from independent media in Russia suggested he had been photographing and sending classified information with his phone while training at a SpaceX facility. Russian space agency Roscosmos merely said he had been transferred to a different job. His replacement, Fedyaev, has already spent some time on the ISS as part of Crew-6 in 2023.

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The pre-dawn launch was delayed by two days over adverse weather forecasts across the US East Coast, including high winds that could have complicated any potential emergency maneuvers. But superstitions aside, Friday the 13th proved to be their lucky day. “I understand it’s the first time NASA has ever launched on Friday the 13th,” said Steve Stich, a NASA official who coordinates ISS launches, with a laugh. “Pretty amazing times.” Crew-12 is composed of Americans Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, along with French astronaut Sophie Adenot and Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev.

“We have left the Earth, but the Earth has not left us,” Meir said as the astronauts ventured into space. “When we gaze on our planet from above, it is immediately clear that everything is interconnected. We are one humankind.” The travelers are replacing Crew-11, which returned to Earth in January a month earlier than planned in the first medical evacuation in the space station’s history. The ISS, a scientific laboratory orbiting 250 miles (400 kilometers) above Earth, has since been staffed by a skeleton crew of three. NASA declined to disclose any details about the health issue that cut the previous mission short.

Once the astronauts arrive, they will be one of the last crews to live aboard the football field-sized space station. Continuously inhabited for the last quarter-century, the aging ISS is scheduled to be pushed into Earth’s orbit before crashing into an isolated spot in the Pacific Ocean in 2030.

The ISS, once a symbol of warming post-Cold War relations, has been a rare area of continued cooperation between the West and Russia since Moscow invaded Ukraine in 2022. However, the space station has not entirely avoided the tensions back on Earth. In November, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev — who had long been planned to be a member of Crew-12 — was suddenly taken off the mission. Reports from independent media in Russia suggested he had been photographing and sending classified information with his phone while training at a SpaceX facility. Russian space agency Roscosmos merely said he had been transferred to a different job. His replacement, Fedyaev, has already spent some time on the ISS as part of Crew-6 in 2023.

During a post-launch briefing, Daniel Neuenschwander, an official at the European Space Agency, emphasized the collaborative commitment to “the peaceful exploration of space.” “We are here this morning after the launch of two Americans, a Russian and a European as one crew. This is again a testimony of what we can achieve together. The ISS stands as a powerful symbol of humanity,” he said.

During their eight months on the outpost, the four astronauts will conduct many experiments, including research into the effects of microgravity on their bodies. Meir, who previously worked as a marine biologist studying animals in extreme environments, will serve as the crew’s commander. Adenot has become the second French woman to fly to space, following in the footsteps of Claudie Haignere, who spent time on the Mir space station. When Adenot saw Haignere’s mission blast off, she was 14 years old — a moment she has called “a revelation.” Among other research, the ESA astronaut will test a system that uses artificial intelligence and augmented reality to allow astronauts to carry out their own medical ultrasounds.

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Crew-12 is composed of Americans Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, along with French astronaut Sophie Adenot and Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev. They have been in quarantine at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida as they await blast-off. The travelers will replace Crew-11, which returned to Earth in January a month earlier than planned in the first medical evacuation in the space station’s history. The ISS, a scientific laboratory orbiting 250 miles (400 kilometers) above Earth, has since been staffed by a skeleton crew of three. NASA declined to disclose any details about the health issue that cut the mission short.

Once the astronauts finally arrive, they will be one of the last crews to live aboard the football field-sized space station. Continuously inhabited for the last quarter century, the ageing ISS is scheduled to be pushed into Earth’s orbit before crashing into an isolated spot in the Pacific Ocean in 2030.

– Microgravity and the human body – The ISS, once a symbol of warming post-Cold War relations, has been a rare area of continued cooperation between the West and Russia since Moscow invaded Ukraine in 2022. However, the space station has not entirely avoided the tensions back on Earth. In November, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev — who had long been planned to be a member of Crew-12 — was suddenly taken off the mission. Reports from independent media in Russia suggested he had been photographing and sending classified information with his phone. Russian space agency Roscosmos merely said he had been transferred to a different job. His replacement Fedyaev has already spent some time on the ISS as part of Crew-6 in 2023.

During their eight months on the outpost, the four astronauts will conduct many experiments, including research into the effects of microgravity on their bodies. Meir, who previously worked as a marine biologist studying animals in extreme environments, will serve as the crew’s commander. Adenot will become the second French woman to fly to space, following in the footsteps of Claudie Haignere, who spent time on the Mir space station. When Adenot saw Haignere’s mission blast off, she was 14 years old. “It was a revelation,” the helicopter pilot said during a recent briefing. “At that moment, I told myself: one day, that will be me.” Among other research, the European Space Agency astronaut will test a system that uses artificial intelligence and augmented reality to allow astronauts to carry out their own medical ultrasounds.

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It’s customary for astronauts to go to the ISS, which orbits 250 miles (400 kilometers) above Earth, to take small personal items to keep close during their months-long stint in space. “I do have a small stuffed rabbit that belongs to my three-year-old daughter, and she actually has two of these because one was given as a gift,” Meir, 48, told an online news conference. “So one will stay down here with her, and one will be there with us, having adventures all the time, so that we’ll keep sending those photos back and forth to my family,” she said.

US space agency NASA says SpaceX Crew-12 will lift off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida to the orbiting scientific laboratory early Wednesday. The mission will be replacing Crew-11, which returned to Earth in January, a month earlier than planned, during the first medical evacuation in the space station’s history.

Meir, a marine biologist and physiologist, served as flight engineer on a 2019-2020 expedition to the space station and participated in the first all-female spacewalks. Since then, she’s given birth to her daughter. She reflected Sunday on the challenges of being a parent and what is due to be an eight-month separation from her child. “It does make it a lot difficult in preparing to leave and thinking about being away from her for that long, especially when she’s so young, it’s really a large chunk of her life,” Meir said.

“But I hope that one day, she will really realize that this absence was a meaningful one, because it was an adventure that she got to share into and that she’ll have memories about, and hopefully it will inspire her and other people around the world,” Meir added.

When the astronauts finally get on board the ISS, they will be one of the last crews to live on board the football field-sized space station. Continuously inhabited for the last quarter century, the ageing ISS is scheduled to be pushed into Earth’s orbit before crashing into an isolated spot in the Pacific Ocean in 2030. The other Crew-12 astronauts are Jack Hathaway of NASA, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Russian cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev.

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